Ben Enwonwu was born in Onitsha, Nigeria in 1917, moving to England in 1944 to take up a scholarship at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. He returned to Nigeria after the war but spent the years of the Nigerian Civil War (1967–70) in London again, successfully negotiating his practice between the two countries, exhibiting extensively in Nigeria, England, and the USA, until his death in Nigeria in 1994. Arguably one of the most influential African artists of the 20th century, his career in painting and sculpture, and as a lecturer, helped pioneered African Modernism.
LIsten to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/ben-enwonwu
